11.19.10
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Is that Gravy that I see?

Pink Bicycle Gourmet Burger Joint
1008 Blanshard Street
Victoria, BC
(250) 384-1008

Imagine my surprise when I heard about Pink Bicycle‘s weekly special, a poutine bison burger, on Facebook. I have to tip my hat to Darryl LeCraw for this news.

I immediately messaged my buddy Don from the Victoria Burger Blog and said we have to check this out. I called up James, and he had to work …
“Well, it’s your loss but our weight-gain.” I said and today, Don and I met for lunch.

Dining on gourmet style burgers is pricey, and it’s not something I’d do regularly. But after this kind of news, it’s time to bend the rules. And with locally grown bison from up island tasting better than what I had before, I thought this meal wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t perfect either since true Bovidae really needs huge fields to graze in than to be confined in such a space like Vancouver Island.

At least Island Bison is improving. What I tried before wasn’t all that good, and it’s only fair to keep on trying until the company gets it right. That holds true for Pink Bicycle too. I normally think of this place as over-rated and after today, I think they’re taking a step in the right direction by offering truffle fries as a regular menu item.

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11.11.10
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These Boots are Made for Walkin’

17 Mile Pub
5126 Sooke Road
Sooke, BC
(250) 642-5942

Heading out to Sooke may feel like a chore to some, but for other’s it’s like walking 500 miles, especially when it comes to parking down the hill and walking the rest of the way to the Sooke Pot Holes. But for hungry foodies like me, the song by the Proclaimers must’ve meant more than just about the quest for love, it’s the hunt for good food.

Just outside of Sooke is 17 Mile Pub and they have some decent grub. Also, for adreniline junkies, right next door is Adrena Line, a zip line park.

Fortunately, one can stop here for some very good french fries. For the second time in the past few months, I found some decent crisps that I lovingly devoured.

If I were to truly walk a hundred or so miles to this pub and home, I would’ve burned off all the calories of the fries I had and then some. The travel was worth it.

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11.10.10
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Fishing a line to Spinnaker’s

Spinnakers Brew Pub
308 Catherine St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 384-0332

Ed
With no James in sight (he’s being frugal lately), I went to Spinnakers with Yvonne and to my sadness, there was no rose petal ice cream. That’s okay, because I wanted to try out this brew-pub’s other delights. The last time I visited, the meals were great, the baked oysters were delicious and I had a great time with my friends.

Today was no different, and even over time nothing has changed. The place has always remained a social environment for people to drink a few pints and mellow out. The food has always been secondary.

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11.03.10
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A Penny for Your Thoughts?

Penny Farthing
Old English Pub
2228 Oak Bay Ave.
Oak Bay, BC
(250) 370-9008

J: Penny Farthing is one those great British style pubs that seems to be the local social for all that is middle class. Nestled deep in the heart of the Oak Bay shopping district, which is in itself a slice of England, Oak Bay could be described as a place where old stiff upper lip society meets the new and trendy.With the Edwardian styled shop of the The Blethering Place co-existing near the more nouveau Bon Sushi, Oak Bay’s my slice of heaven.We were joined in company by people locally and from the far away land of Alberta. From Alberta were Bill Bracher, owner of Bullseye Bill’s Trading Post, Naomi DeBruyn, proprietor of Callaway Cafe and Robin Poirier, tech wizard of ReStart Computer among many other good friends.

Luckily for Ed and myself, appetizers were half price that night, which suits my Scottish purse just fine. The Crab and Lobster Dip was the first to land at our table.

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11.01.10
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Is James Smarter than the Average Bear?

Out of the entire year, today is one of those days where tricks and treats run rampant. If you love to smoke food and savour candied delights—nibbling on smoked candy salmon is one great way to wind down the summer. You’re either fishing the days away or just preparing to hibernate.

Right now this is the season for salmon to come back from whence they came, and if you can catch a few, just what can one do with your haul?

Nigiri sushi? Sure, if you have the girth for it, but I’m thinking about the candied salmon my pal Brydon Parker gave me as a Halloween treat. They’re not going to last long. The tones of smoked hickory and maple syrup are tasty, and I have to see what else he’ll be cooking up.

But also check out local fisheries too. Any fresh salmon that’s now being caught are going to make for some tender delights. I’m on the lookout for local eateries offering freshly caught fish, preferably wild over domesticated.

Sadly, I’m not sure if James is going to join me; he’s been doing a lot of early hibernation and not even a picnic basket is stirring him. He’s certainly been a tough bear to awaken and I’ll just have to play a joke.

I’m going to carefully move him from his home in Jellystone to Yellowstone.

So either with him or not, I’m on the hunt for some wild salmon in the coming weeks.

10.28.10
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Halloween Treats and Eats

Rocky Mountain
Chocolate Factory
1225 Government St.
Victoria, BC
(250) 382-8811

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but it’ll be the cream filling that’ll keep dentists drilling if Halloween has any say.

Upon leaving Absolute Underground’s new digs in Trounce Alley today, dropping off my video edit of an upcoming Fun Guys episode—where I went mushroom hunting and cooking with my pal Brydon Parker—I walked by Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s display of Halloween themed caramel apples. And oh boy, it did more than stop my heart.

I paused long enough and decided to go in to ask how much those monster-sized treats cost. As the image will show, I had to put a ruler next to the apple just to show how big they are. And At $11.99 before taxes, I thought why not? I’ve always wanted to take a bite back at all those zombie infested dreams I sometimes get.

I grabbed an apple that was plumper than my own fist and like a kid coming home with a large haul, I immediately nipped at this apple.

The caramel had a great smooth consistency that worked well with the delicious granny smith apple. While their chocolate is as good as Victoria’s own Rogers Chocolates, I wasn’t here to compare. Their cute use of white chocolate as a ribbon surrounding the apple was a nice touch, and I tasted combinations of dark and white at each bite.

And this is one apple I can’t finish off in a night. Well, that’s assuming I want to sleep at all. Maybe it’ll be candied apple dreams tonight.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato